American History

American History

Each discussion should be answered separately! Each discussion answer should be at least 250 words in length! This is two separate discussions please ensure that each discussion is answered SEPARATELY! I prefer Page 1 will be used to answer discussion 1 and Page 2 will be used to answer discussion 2.

Discussion 1. Economic and Territorial Expansion

Prepare: The decades following the War of 1812 are often depicted as an age of nationalism, democratization, egalitarianism, individualism, industrialization, and economic and territorial expansion. The same period, however, could also be depicted as an age of racial oppression, ethnic cleansing, the entrenchment of slavery, the subjugation of women (see Rexford, 2008 for a discussion of how women’s shoes enhanced their domesticity and dependence), the spread of poverty, the militant conquest of foreign lands and foreign peoples, and the emergence of divisive sectionalism which would tear the country apart.

Reflect: As you read and watch the assigned sources, consider why the United States expanded economically and territorially during this period, and assess the impact of that expansion on the nation both as a unified whole and specifically the Native Americans.

Write: Please answer the following questions:
1.How did the United States’ economic and territorial expansion during this period influence or shape the group you chose?
2. Did the economic and territorial expansion of the United States in the first half of the 19th century serve to tie the country together or to drive it apart?

Discussion 2. A Blundering Generation or an Irreconcilable Conflict: The Origins of the Civil War

READ ALSO :   PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATIONAL

Prepare: You will find that histories of the origins of the Civil War can be roughly divided into two camps: those who argue that the war was caused by a “blundering generation,” whose inept handling of sectional divisions resulted in an unnecessary war; and those who argue that the war resulted from an “irreconcilable conflict” between distinct and incompatible slave and free societies, which could not forever remain under the same system of government.

Write: As you analyze the major events of the 1850s, did the Civil War result from a blundering generation or an irreconcilable conflict? In your argument, refer to the following developments (along with any others you argue are pertinent):

•The Compromise of 1850
•The Kansas-Nebraska Act and its consequences
•The Dred Scott decision
•John Brown’s Raid on Harper’s Ferry
•The election of Abraham Lincoln